The Mozzie Wars

There’s a killer on the loose, and she wants your blood…

- Paul Donovan

Scientists have been waging war against the mosquito ever since Sir Ronald Ross (18571932) identified the mosquito as being the culprit in the spread of the malaria parasite. Ross actually won the Nobel Prize for this discovery.

No matter how much insect repellent you cover yourself with, no matter whether you wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, tuck your trousers in your socks, make sure your shirt is tucked in, wear light - coloured clothing, or wear a mosquito net over your face, these little critters still manage to find some area of flesh to suck your blood from.

Why does it itch?

As the mosquito penetrates your skin with its proboscis, it injects a saliva containing a cocktail of anticoagulants. The itchiness is your body’s immune system kicking in to fight these anticoagulants by releasing histamine. As it does so, the blood vessels near the bite swell up, resulting in a red, itchy lump. The more you scratch the itch, the worse it becomes and the longer the itch lasts, because the body thinks it needs more antibodies (histamine) to fight the foreign proteins so it pumps more at it.

As hard as it may sound, avoiding scratching the itch and covering it in a dollop of antihistamine cream is the best thing you can do, as both counteract the body’s release of histamine.

Role in the food chain

Although mosquitoes are a menace unequalled by any other problem encountered while in the bush (and at home, of course), they play an important role in the food chain for a host of animals. The larvae are a valuable food source for fish, while the adults are preyed on by dragonflies and small birds. Unfortunately, to humans, they are little more than a persistent annoyance.

Diseases spread